


my words are wrapped in barbwire (my actions speak for what I can't say)

by aletterinthenameofsanity



Series: this could be good (love is patient, love is kind) [12]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Samurai
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Established Relationship, Feelings, Fix-It of Sorts, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Fuckbuddies, Fuckbuddies to a relationship, Gay Male Character, I'm trying something new, I've never written anything with the word 'fuckbuddy' before, Kevin has feelings and doesn't know how to process them, Kissing, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, POV Kevin, Relationship Development, Sequel, and yet here we are, b/c none of my kids know how to deal, i based the Soulmark sections off of the format of a text fic, i love my disaster gay sons, i managed to write a story about fuckbuddies, let's hope not, maybe it's me projecting, most sexual content I've ever written, once again questionable coping mechanisms, or describing sex, texting ish, which is a mood, without once using the word 'dick'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-28 03:55:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17175374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aletterinthenameofsanity/pseuds/aletterinthenameofsanity
Summary: Kevin has always (even after the whole ink stain fiasco with Mike) known what he was going to do with his life. He was going to serve the Shiba family as the Blue Samurai Ranger, marry in a way that benefited his line, had an heir that could become the next Blue Samurai. That was the cycle, the Samurai Code, the way of doing things.Swimming was a way to train, not a valid life goal. It didn't matter how much he enjoyed it- he knew what he had to do. He has always known what to do.Then Mike came and threw a wrench into everything.-They shouldn’t be doing this, and Kevin knows it. Not when Soulmates hang over them, their bond left unspoken in the middle of tangled limbs and quiet laughter and heated kisses. Not when Kevin can taste his own sweat on Mike's lips, when he can feel Mike's hands against his skin.They shouldn't be doing this- or at least, that’s what Kevin keeps telling himself when he and Mike jerk each other off before bed. He never seems to listen to himself, though.





	my words are wrapped in barbwire (my actions speak for what I can't say)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tsukino_Akume](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsukino_Akume/gifts).
  * Inspired by [i'm the hero of the story (don't need to be saved)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16532657) by [aletterinthenameofsanity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aletterinthenameofsanity/pseuds/aletterinthenameofsanity). 



> Title is from "On My Way" by Lea Michele.
> 
> This is probably the closest you all are ever going to get to sexual content from me, so if that's not your cup of tea then this is your warning. 
> 
> To be honest, this section of the story was never supposed to be written. Then a number of things I read recently from a variety of fandoms combined with a re-read of some of the fics in this series and the fact that my Mike/Kevin story in my other Power Rangers universe is still one of my favorite things I've ever written, and this happened. 
> 
> This is the truer sequel of sorts to "I'm the hero of the story" that Tsukino_Akume asked for, based within canon(ish) of Samurai itself. The first Samurai story leaves Mike and Kevin at Point A in their relationship, where they just found out about the fact that they're Soulmates and are not dealing with said fact, while the second Samurai story shows them at Point B, a well-adjusted couple helping raise Lauren Shiba's daughter. This is the journey from Point A to Point B. It's a bit different in style than anything else in this series but it works pretty well, in my opinion. It may not be everyone's cup of tea and I get it. I hope you guys enjoy it, though!
> 
>  
> 
> Also, final note: all three songs mentioned in this fic, "On My Way" by Lea Michele, "I wanna be your girlfriend" by girl in red, and "Tender" by Blur (the last of which is my favorite song of all time, fun fact) all really fit the relationship between Mike and Kevin.

_I don't wanna be your friend, I wanna kiss your lips_

_I wanna kiss you until I lose my breath_

_I wanna feel you close_

_The look in your eyes_

_My hand between your thighs_

_Don't look away_

_Oh, this can't be real_

_I wanna touch you but not like this_

**_-i wanna be your girlfriend,_ girl in red**

 

The first deliberate written Soulmarks are supposed to be a one time thing, a reassurance after a particularly bad day.

 

_It’s not your fault, Mike._

**_Of course it is, Kev. I was the one who annoyed Antonio & Ji into leaving the house._ **

_They're grownups, Mike. They made the decision to go work somewhere else. And we rescued them in the end, right?_

**_I guess u kinda have a point._ **

_You do know you can spell things correctly, right? This isn't a text._

_**It annoys u & that means I like it** _

_Why am I not surprised?_

_**B/c we're friends Kev even if you won't admit it** _

_I'm the one who's trying to comfort you right now, aren't I?_

_**So you do admit that we're friends**_  

-

Kevin has always (even after the whole ink stain fiasco with Mike) known what he was going to do with his life. He was going to serve the Shiba family as the Blue Samurai Ranger, marry in a way that benefited his line, had an heir that could become the next Blue Samurai. That was the cycle, the Samurai Code, the way of doing things.

Swimming was a way to train, not a valid life goal. It didn't matter how much he enjoyed it- he knew what he had to do. He has always known what to do.

Then Mike came and threw a wrench into everything.

-

They don’t acknowledge it. Outside of their rooms, they act like they always do. Bad jokes by Mike, semi-fond, semi-serious scorn from Kevin. They slide Mia's cooking onto each others' plates and pretend not to notice, practice sparring against each other, and argue without heat on a regular basis.

Nothing really changes too drastically, at least until the day that Lauren Shiba shows up.

Then, everything changes.

-

At 10 p.m. the night Lauren Shiba shows up, ink appears on Kevin’s arms.

 

**_Let’s play fuck marry kill_ **

_What the actual fuck, Mike?_

**_I’m drunk on sake we just found out we’ve been lied to since we got here & I’m pissed at the world. Fuck marry kill Kev_ **

_Okay, you idiot. I’ll play along._

**_Really?_ **

_You’re right, Mike- they’ve been lying to us._  

**_FMK Daniel Radcliffe Taylor Lautner & Michael Phelps_**

**_Also u have to give reasons_ **

_You bitch, Mike._

**_Ooh Mr. Perfect watch ur language_ **

_I’ll watch my language when you learn to spell._

**_Just answer the question Kev_ **

_Fuck Michael Phelps because he's my hero, marry Daniel Radcliffe because he's Harry Potter, and kill Taylor Lautner because I don't know who he is. Was he in Sharkboy and Lavagirl?_

**_True. But ever seen Twilight?_ **

_Is that the vampire movie Kelsey likes?_

**_Kelsey ur little sister?_ **

_Yeah, I thought I'd mentioned it before. And before you ask, you're an only child._

**_U know who in my family would be the Green Samurai if it wasn't me?_ **

_Your cousin Alicia._

**_Nice. U do pay attention_ **

_But if you had the same options for FMK, then who would it be?_

**_Honest? I'd fuck the hell out of Taylor Lautner. Had a crush on him since I was a kid_**

_And the other 2?_

**_Marry Daniel Radcliffe because you're right, he's Harry Potter, and kill Phelps._ **

_How dare_

**_The only swimmer I care about is u Kev_ **

 

 _Okay, fine_.  _But back to my choices for your inane game-_ _Lauren, Jayden, Ji._

**_U MOTHERFUCKING CABRON_ **

_Gotta answer, Mike._

**_Marry Jayden b/c I trust him the most even though I hate his guts now, fuck Lauren even though I’m gay b/c I am not fucking an old guy, and kill Ji b/c he's the one who set everything up and separated Jayden and Lauren and lied to us and tried to take Antonio's Morpher like he had any right to it_ **

_That's a lot of anger. Nearly used up my entire arm._

**_Don't deny u don't feel the same way._ **

_I can’t believe they’ve been lying to us._

_-_

“Kiss me,” Kevin says, staring at Mike, and Mike blinks. Kevin knows it's a bit of a shock, him just showing up in Mike's room like this, but nothing seems to be going right.

“Are you serious?”

Kevin nods, looking at Mike. The team is falling apart. Jayden has left, Antonio followed him off with a comment about not being a true Samurai (despite the fact that Antonio is as much a part of this team as any of them, who gives a fuck that he’s Jayden’s Soulmate, he’s more than proven his worth), and Lauren, despite whatever Symbol Power she has, doesn’t know how to read the team in battle and thus keeps fucking up leading them. Jayden could make those mistakes when the Nighlok were less powerful- now, there is no room for error.

Mike shrugs, though his gaze is hard to read. Their world is splintering, falling apart around the seams.

(What's one more knife aimed to the heart?) 

Mike leans in and presses his lips to Kevin's. His right hand goes to Kevin's neck while the other goes to his buzzed scalp, pulling him in. Mike's tongue presses at the seam between Kevin's lips and Kevin's lips part to allow Mike entrance.  

This isn't romantic- this is shared frustration. The kiss isn't exactly 'rough,' but there is nothing gentle about it either. Mike's lips are pushing at Kevin's, pulling his bad thoughts away from the mess around them and instead directing him to think only about Mike.

When they eventually lean back to breathe, Mike's eyes are dark. "That was nice."

"It was," Kevin admits.

"Want to go again?" Mike asks.

This is dangerous, Kevin knows, but he doesn't think he can stop himself. The world is spinning out of control and for a few moments, this was the only way he could center himself. 

So he just nods, and then Mike captures his lips again. 

_-_

**_We never finished the game_ **

_Got a bit distracted, didn’t we?_

**_That was all ur fault_ **

_Don’t remind me._

**_;)_ **

_You’re ridiculous, Mike._

**_You love it ;D_ **

_That's debatable._

-

Every time Kevin looks at Lauren, at her sitting next to Jayden with her rigid posture that is so similiar to Jayden's or even Kevin's own, a taste fills his throat that is more bitter than Mia’s tea. It's not exactly her fault that he feels so betrayed as Kevin understands that she was only following duty, which he knows all too well, but her very appearance reminds him of all the lies that the team has been told.

Mike’s skin, on the other hand, tastes salty under his lips after a battle or sparring practice. When Kevin kisses Mike, he finds distraction from the bitterness.

-

There are a million reasons they shouldn't be doing this. Tradition, dedication, duty, the Code. 

But Jayden and Ji shouldn't have lied. Lauren shouldn't have hidden. This is just another item in a long line of _shouldn't-have_ s.

Something has fallen apart within the bonds of this team. Something has splintered, tearing them away from each other. Antonio left and brought Jayden back to the team after Lauren arrived, and now the two Reds are fighting together on the same team, but now Jayden feels as awkward around the team as he did back at the beginning of the team. He still fights well on the battlefield, but in the Shiba House- the only person he acts natural with is Antonio.

Mia is rather kind to Lauren- probably the kindest out of all of them. Mia has always been the kindest of them all. To be honest, the awkwardness in the room never comes from Mia. She is almost  _too_ welcoming to Lauren, never showing an ounce of resentment toward the woman who has come in and upset the balance of the team.

Emily is clear of her opinion on Lauren- as long as she doesn't try to interfere with Soulmates then Emily's really supportive of her. Emily doesn't seem to have most of the same trust issues with Lauren that the rest of them have.

Mike and Kevin, on the other hand, aren't quite sure how to handle Lauren. Mike took so long to learn to trust Jayden and rely on him as a leader, and to have that yanked out from underneath of him is certainly disconcerting.

And Kevin, who was ready to pledge his loyalty to whoever named themselves Lord or Lady Shiba when he first joined the team, feels betrayed. He put his entire devotion into the cause, an oath and a promise. He was ready to die a million times over in order to keep Jayden, the Red Samurai Ranger and holder of the Sealing Symbol, alive. And it turns out that all of that had been for an untruth. If Kevin had died for Jayden, then it would have been a death for a lie.

Kevin wishes things could back to the way they were, but there's no way to do that. So he's dealing with life in whatever way he can. And if that means engaging in the  _shouldn't-have_ s, then that's what it means.

-

Kevin knows they need to talk. They need to say something before they let the making out and handjobs get too far. They need to set boundaries, talk about how they feel. They need to stop things from going too far.

Kevin can’t let this thing with Mike distract him from the world burning. He can’t let Mike distract him from the team, from his duty. That's the reason, after all, that he covered his arms as a child. He never realized Mike was his Soulmate because he never looked at his skin, not wanting distraction.

They need to talk about this, for the good of everyone.

(Then again, they never really talked the day they found out they were Soulmates. 

They spent an afternoon at the creek, Kevin watching as Mike washed away the ink stain from his arm. The ink had disappeared simultaneously from Kevin's arm, and within five minutes there was no evidence of the life-altering revelation they'd both just been dealt.

They hadn't said much there, hadn't discussed the implications that such a revelation could have. Instead, they had been silent while the ink was disappearing into the creek, and then had meditated by the creek as they both searched for something to say. The first thing out of either of their mouths had been some inane, Mike-like comment about how Mia better not be expecting him to help clean up the ink  _she_ spilled, which then just devolved into Kevin chasing any conversation topic that could get them away from Soulmates and back to just friends.

They hadn't resolved anything, and now it looks like they're just going to continue that pattern.)

-

_Mia’s staring at Lauren again._

**_I knew I was gay, but Mia’s just taking it to a whole new level_ **

_But neither of you are as gay as Antonio._

**_Got that right. No one stares at anyone like he stares at Jayden._**

-

Mike knows what he's doing with his hands when he slides them down Kevin's stomach, layering kisses in a line down his bare torso. 

Mike's really good at this. He has experience in a way that Kevin never let himself have. Mike's been with a few guys in his time while Kevin never let himself get distracted from his training.

-

They shouldn’t be doing this, and Kevin knows it. Not when Soulmates hang over them, their bond left unspoken in the middle of tangled limbs and quiet laughter and heated kisses. Not when Kevin can taste his own sweat on Mike's lips, when he can feel Mike's hands against his skin.

They shouldn't be doing this- or at least, that’s what Kevin keeps telling himself when he and Mike jerk each other off before bed. He never seems to listen to himself, though.

-

The day Kevin loses his virginity is an ordinary day. In the morning he spars with Lauren, in the afternoon they hunt down and fight a few Moogers, and that night he finds himself naked in bed with Mike.

Things go a bit differently from there, though. He's given Mike a few hand and blowjobs before, and Mike's done the same for him. But this- this is really fucking different. They're both stripped down to their boxers, jeans and shirts tossed into the rocking chair. Mike straddles him, a crooked smile on his face, and then he leans in. Kevin smiles up at Mike, ready for whatever comes next.

Then Mike stops for just a second, his fingers on the waistband of Kevin's boxers. "You sure you're ready for this?" he asks, and Kevin pushes away all anxieties and nervousness.

He nods. "This doesn't mean anything, right?"

Something goes dark in Mike's eyes. "Just a release," he agrees. "We're best friends helping each other get off." Then Mike smiles, the crooked, cheeky grin that means that Mike has something up his sleeve. Then he leans back in, talented fingers doing their thing, and Kevin falls apart under Mike's hands, letting himself drown in a million feelings he shouldn't be having.

Kevin giving it up isn't a world changing event. It isn't even that big of an event in Kevin's life, to be honest. When the world is being invaded, when they fight monsters and save the world on a regular basis and they just found out that they've been lied to since day one, finally getting fully naked with Mike and having sex isn't that big of a deal.

(But in a way, it is, because of all the things that Kevin and Mike aren't talking about. Sure, sex is great and all, and Kevin's pretty sure he's going to enjoy continuing the whole combining-friendship-with-mutual-pleasure-without-involving-romantic-feelings thing, but maybe if they'd talked about everything things would feel far more real.) 

When they collapse onto the sheets after it's all over, before they've even cleaned up, Kevin sucks in a breath and looks Mike in the eyes. If Kevin looks as wrecked as he feels, as wrecked as Mike looks, with his mussed hair and raw lips, then he must be quite the mess. 

"We should do that again," Mike says, and Kevin doesn't even hesitate.

"Sounds like a good idea to me."

-

**_Did you see the look on Jayden’s face?_ **

_How did you manage to turn his hair green?_

**_Dye in the shampoo. Think Antonio liked it?_ **

_Couldn’t tear his eyes away._

**_Never can when it comes to Jayden. U ever feel sorry for him?_ **

-

(Does Kevin ever feel sorry for _himself_?

Sometimes, in between kisses to Mike's collarbones and stomach and the line of his hips, Kevin thinks he might.)

-

The sex becomes yet another thing that doesn’t get mentioned outside of Kevin’s room, just like the kisses and Soulmates and the ink that always gets washed off their arms before breakfast or sex everyday.

Mike never complains about it, though. He just keeps giving Kevin crooked smiles, sparring with him, teasing him throughout the day, and at night Kevin learns a lot from Mike. He learns what to do to give pleasure to your partner, to make Mike moan and arch his back in just the right way.

He thinks he's getting pretty good at the whole 'fuckbuddy' thing.

- 

It's not just sex happening in the bedroom, though.  

Something beeps and Mike slides off of Kevin to grab for his D.S. As Kevin sits up slightly, propping himself up on his elbows, he observes Mike on the rocking chair. There he sits, naked save for a pair of boxers, tapping away at the screen with the same look of concentration he uses when sparring or giving Kevin a blowjob.

"Really, now?" Kevin asks, a fond smile on his face despite the interruption.

Mike sighs and gives him a _look_. "Some lady in Kansas finally traded me the Pokemon I've been searching for for  _years_."

"We were about to fuck," Kevin points out, feeling like it's a point that should be heard.

"We can fuck later," Mike says, "There will always be another battle to work up energy after. Pokemon like a shiny Charizard only come about once every few years."

Kevin can't believe he finds Mike attractive, but somehow this only makes him even hotter in Kevin's eyes. Everything that Kevin used to find annoying, before Lauren showed up and the world shattered, is now somehow endearing.

How can one thing change so much? What has changed between them, around them, to cause Kevin to change the ways in which he thinks about his best friend?

Kevin's gaze falls to Mike's arms as he types, to the bare skin of his wrists. The ink's always long gone when they go to have sex, and he's thankful. He likes what they're doing, and he doesn't know if he would be able to go through with any of this if he had to constantly think about the Soulbond between them.

It's just far easier to think of them as two friends comforting each other, taking pleasure from each other, blowing each other off and fucking each other and-

"Should I just get ready for bed?" Kevin asks, arching a knowing eyebrow.

"I'm probably going to be working with my new Pokemon Fluffy for a few hours, so you probably shouldn't wait up," Mike advises.

"It's named Fluffy?" Kevin says, unable to contain a snort of laughter. "I thought that Charizard looked like a dragon."

"I would have named it Tommy," Mike says, and Kevin gets the reference. This time he _is_ able to restrain his laughter, but only just. "But the lady I got Fluffy from names all of her Pokemon after Harry Potter characters so I roll with the punches."

Kevin shrugs and falls back onto the bed. This is all so normal, so comfortable, so...undistracting. Right now, the outside world feels the distraction, the far-fetched dream. 

-

_FMK, Mike._

**_What names?_ **

_Me, your favorite Taylor Lautner, and Antonio._

**_Kill Antonio, sorry man, fuck Taylor, marry you_ ** _._

_Really? I thought you'd fuck me._

**_Ur my best friend Kev and I trust u. Sides, I'd still get to fuck u if we got married. Win-win ;)_**

_You do have a point there._  

**_I always do_ **

-

 _I think I might love you_ , Kevin thinks one day during training, when Lauren’s facing off with Antonio and Mike’s sparring with Jayden. Kevin’s gaze keeps getting distracted by Mike, by the line of his swings and the _thwack_ of his staff against Jayden’s.

This is what the Code was meant to stop- the distractions, the staring during training, the hesitation on the battlefield.

The Code was meant to do a lot of things. It was meant to strengthen the team, to save the world, to keep humanity from falling to Master Xandred. And instead- it has torn apart families, destroyed childhoods, murdered dreams. It has left a trail of wrecked and unfulfilled Soulbonds, caused doubt and mistrust in the team.

After all that sacrifice, has it succeeded in what it meant to do?

Xandred is still around. The Samurai Rangers are miserable about the lack of Soulmates and plenty of other things they've had to do for the sake of the Code. Even Antonio, not born into their ways, is being crushed by the Code and its rules.

What is the world if those meant to defend it hate the way they live there? 

-

Fuck the world. Right now there is only Mike, Mike's collarbones under Kevin's lips, his skin under Kevin's hands.

(Is this what love feels like? Is this what a Soulmate bond feels like? His little sister’s favorite movie- some movie about teenage vampires or something strange like that- says that a Soulbond feels like drowning, like addiction, like you look into your Soulmate's eyes and the whole world ceases to exist.)

The world is burning around Kevin, the end of the world arriving with each progressively stronger Nighlok, and all he can see is Mike’s eyes, liquid dark and shining in the dim light of the room.

Kevin looks into Mike's eyes and he remembers why things grow.

-

**_Hey Kevin?_ **

_Yeah, Mike?_

**_Do u ever wonder if we’ll be enough?_ **

_All the time._

-

They’re not having sex right now, and Kevin’s brain is not addled by hormones, but he can’t get the image of Mike out of his mind.

What explanation can he possibly have to explain it? Is this a Soulmate thing? Is this a shared anger thing, a frustration thing, a friendship thing?

Kevin looks at Antonio and Jayden, at the way Antonio fulfilled a promise he made to Jayden a decade and a half ago, about the way that Antonio follows Jayden all over the world to save him from Dekker and help the team. He thinks about the way that Jayden had practically tore the world down to find Antonio after he and Ji were kidnapped by Nighlok.

Mike and him aren’t like that. They aren’t star-crossed lovers, a fairytale taken human form. Neither of them is a knight in shining armor seeking to save a lonely prince from his ivory tower. They aren't the sun chasing the moon, the ocean wearing away the shore.

They're just...Mike and Kevin. They're friends, Rangers, fuckbuddies. They're sons of the Samurai bloodlines, destined from birth to the same cycle as their parents. They're not mean to chase Soulmates.

(So what the fuck are they doing now?) 

_-_

**_Do you ever have any regrets?_ **

-

It isn't some massive, almost-death event that drives Kevin to his realization about their relationship. It's a small fall in battle, a small cut that Mike ends up with on his leg. It's a minor injury that only needs a small bandage- nothing that could have taken Mike out- but that night when Kevin comes to Mike's room he finds Mike with his leg propped up on a pillow.

"I'm not really feeling up to sex tonight," Mike says, and Kevin nods.

"I get it," he says, "I just came to see if you wanted help or, you know, just wanted me to sleep in here tonight. We could watch whatever movie you want and we could just hang out. If you wanted the comfort, you know."

Mike just stares at Kevin for a moment before smiling and nodding. "C'mon in, then," he says, gesturing Kevin in, "Just be careful of the leg and we should be good." Kevin nods and heads into the room, sitting down on the right side of the bed- the side of the bed that has basically become his. The left side of his bed is basically Mike's by now, too. "You do realize we'll be watching  _Clue,_ right?"

Mike's favorite movie of all time isn't an action movie or even Twilight, for all of his knowledge of it- it's a cult classic murder-mystery-comedy from 1985, one that has multiple alternate endings and Tim Curry. Any chance that Mike gets to choose what he and any team members are watching, he drags the movie out.

(Though it's not exactly Kevin's cup of tea, he has grown fond of it. It's plenty entertaining, and besides, the way it makes Mike laugh- that's priceless.)

"Of course we will," Kevin says as he grabs for the remote.

-

That night, they just end up sleeping together. No sex, not even making out- just the two of them curled together, Kevin's stomach to Mike's back, his arm slung over Mike's torso. It's pretty comfortable, pretty...normal.

Kevin wakes up before Mike, as he always does- his internal clock is a consistent one- and finds himself staring at Mike's back and his hair. It's nothing too strange, as he's often woken up curled up with Mike as one or the other of them hadn't felt like returning to their own room after having sex, but he's kind of struck by how commonplace this has become, him and Mike sleeping in the same bed.

If Mike's injury yesterday had ended up in another place on his body, ended up a little deeper, Kevin could have lost Mike. He could have so easily lost this casual intimacy, this comfortable sleeping, this normalcy. He could have lost Mike, his jokes and guidance and kisses. 

And that's when it hits him- if that happened, Kevin doesn't think he could handle it. Mike has become Kevin's anchor, his comfort and emotional pillar. Kevin can't live without Mike.

Fuck the world. Fuck the code. If Kevin loses Mike, he loses everything.

"Don't you dare die on me," Kevin says to Mike's sleeping back.

"Wouldn't dare," Mike rasps, and Kevin blinks.

"You're awake."

"You were thinking too loud. _As usual._ Of course I'm awake."

Kevin swallows. "Your leg feeling okay?"

"A bit sore, but yeah."

"Good."

Mike arches an eyebrow. "Good that it's sore?"

Kevin rolls his eyes. "Good that you're feeling better, you idiot."

Mike pouts and Kevin doesn't know if hwants to kiss him or hit him with a pillow. "You can't call an invalid names."

Kevin can't halt his smile. "Why not?"

"Because it makes me unhappy, and you have to listen to me."

Kevin snorts. "Since when?"

"Since I was injured from my battlefield heroism," Mike answers, "And, you know, I'm your best friend."

That Mike is, if Kevin's being honest.

-

Two days later:

 

_Mike?_

**_Yeah Kevin?_ **

_This whole Soulmate thing._

**_The one we’re not talking about?_ **

_You insensitive idiot, yeah, that one._

**_Glad we’re on the same page._ **

_Do you think that maybe_

**_Maybe what Kev? It’s been 10 minutes and u still haven’t finished ur sentence._ **

_Maybe we’ve got it all wrong?_

_…_

_Mike? You got anything to say?_

**_17 years I thought I was Soulless & now u want to talk?_ **

_I think I made a mistake, Mike._

**_Mistake how?_ **

_Never writing to you. A lot of things could have been different._

_..._

_Mike?_

_..._

**_Yeah?_ **

_I think I love you._

_-_

It's been ten minutes since a word appeared on Kevin's skin and he's pretty sure he just destroyed what relationship of sorts they've built up. He hasn't moved, and he's not entirely sure if he's properly breathing either. Did he just lose Mike and his smile and his bad jokes and his talented hands? Did he just ruin everything? Did he just cut the pillar keeping him stable?

There's a knock on his bedroom door and Kevin scrambles up to get it. He opens the door and standing there is Mike, but it's not the usual, confident Mike that normally saunters into his room with a sort of effortless swagger.

“Kiss me,” Mike says, eyes red and cheeks tear-stained. His Soulmarks are bared, their conversation littering his arm, and the way he looks at Kevin is simultaneously a challenge and a surrender.

"Okay," Kevin says, and Mike shakes his head.

"But not like normal," Mike says, eyes dark. "Like you actually mean it. You fucker- you've been keeping us at fuckbuddy status for months. Now you say that you might love me, and there's no way that you're gonna kiss me like I'm still your fuckbuddy."

When Mike is in front of Kevin, everything falls to the side. The world itself ceases to mean anything, and maybe that's a bit much but Kevin's entire world has realigned itself in the months since the team was overturned.

When he'd written to Mike a few minutes ago, he'd meant what he'd said. He does love Mike as more than a friend or a fuckbuddy or a teammate. He loves Mike like he thinks a Soulmate does. When Mike smiles, something warms in Kevin's chest. When he's hurt, there's nothing Kevin wants more than to help him.

He wants nothing more than to kiss Mike in a way that could somehow communicate everything he's been feeling.

Kevin steps forward and raises a hand to Mike's cheek, caressing it. He then leans in and presses his lips to Mike's gently. It's nothing like how they normally kiss, passionate and taking- instead, Kevin takes the time to slowly kiss his way into Mike's mouth, trying to convey the weight he is putting on this moment.

"Is that kissing you like a fuckbuddy?" Kevin asks. 

Mike shakes his head, giving Kevin a fragile smile, and for a moment it's just the two of them, held in a moment of bliss.

Then Mike starts to laugh, a rough, uncontrolled giggle. 

"Why the fuck are you laughing?" Kevin asks.

"Because this is objectively ridiculous," Mike says.

"More ridiculous than the time we got stuck together and I ended up pushing you in a grocery cart across Panorama City so we could get groceries?"

"I became fuckbuddies with my Soulmate before dramatically declaring my feelings to him after he spent a year engaging in a pseudo-relationship with me over what's basically text," Mike says, "I'm pretty sure that trumps all other ridiculous situations."

"You've got something of a point."

"Kiss me again, you idiot," Mike says.

And Kevin does. 

 

_Tender is the night_

_Lying by your side_

_Tender is the touch_

_Of someone that you love too much_

_Tender is my heart you know_

_I'm screwing up my life_

_Oh lord I need to find_

_Someone who can heal my mind_

**_-Tender,_ Blur**

**Author's Note:**

> So, how did the more mature aspects of this work read? Did they seem semi-realistic? This is my first time writing anything more than very implied sexual content.


End file.
